This week, we'd like to share with you a little project we've come across: Ikea Hackers. As the name suggests, Ikea Hackers is about the modification and repurposing of mass produced Ikea products. There's a real trend in this kind of behaviour at the moment (you might remember our post about repurposed furniture last month) and we love the idea of challenging the Ikea assembly code to create something unique and personal.

The reasons for using reclaimed materials go beyond simply being ecological. If you've done any renovating lately, you'll have noticed how expensive certain building materials have become. It's also much easier now to source reclaimed materials with many companies and websites now supporting the trade.

The warmer weather is a signal of many pleasant things to come - backyard barbeques, long walks at night, flowers blooming in the garden… And then of course there’s the spring cleaning. Even though it’s a chore, you can’t deny that it feels pretty good to dust away the cobwebs of winter and begin spring with a clean start. When you do your 2012 spring clean, aim for a healthy, eco friendly approach with some of the products we recommend below.

As convenient as it may be to simply drag your old furniture out to the curb on garbage day, it’s hardly ecological and you may even be missing out on a profit, or the opportunity to help someone in need. There are countless options available when it comes to getting rid of your old junk, and yet that sometimes makes it all the harder to know where to go. The range of stuff we have and all the environmental, health and safety restrictions on off-loading can make it seem all too complicated. However, it really is worth taking a few minutes to scan through your list of options before you resort to the dump. Check out our breakdown of options in Ottawa below.

Are you feeling the chill right now? Chances are, there’s at least a few things you can change in your home to help keep the heat in, and your energy bill low. If you’re not ready to invest in any home improvements just yet, there are a number of changes that you can make without spending any money upfront. So cozy up with a blanket, and check out our list below.

I was recently surprised to discover that on average, the appliances and electronics that we think are “off” are actually costing each of us hundreds of dollars a year in energy consumption. All those standby modes on your oven, kettle, microwave, digital box etc., are squeezing more juice than you think. This triggered me into thinking about the energy consumption of my home and what else I could improve. If you’ve been thinking lately about improving the energy consumption of your home, there’s never been a better time to do it.